Shake and Pray

I have this snow globe on the windowsill above my kitchen sink.  My mother brought it back for me from her recent tour of several Christkindlmarkts in Germany.  Inside the the tiny glass bubble huddles the Holy Family.  One shake of the globe creates a miniature iridescent snowstorm.  

Christmas came and went and still this German memory resides on my sunny springtime sill because it has become a prayer habit of mine.  Every time I wash dishes in the sink I pause to shake and pray: for my boys at school, my husband at work and my family scattered coast to coast.  

Only after five months of shaking and praying have I really stopped to ponder the symbolism inside the globe ~ that together the family is safe amid the swirling storm.  There they stand, holding onto one another peacefully, not being tossed apart or looking off in different directions, but they stand as one firm unit, on a strong foundation, attention focused on a singular goal ahead.  

Now as I continue to shake and pray at random moments throughout each day, I will not only think of my own family unit, but be quietly reminded that we will make it, no matter what blizzard may come.   We two who first became three in one, then five in one will be forever all for One.